Method for a data processing system for maintaining an operating state of a first autonomous vehicle and method for a data processing system for managing a plurality of autonomous vehicles

ABSTRACT

A method for a data processing installation for obtaining an operating state of a first autonomous vehicle. The method includes determining a current state of the first autonomous vehicle from a received measurement value of a sensor of a second vehicle. When the current state of the first autonomous vehicle deviates from a setpoint state, the method includes sending a first message to the first autonomous vehicle, wherein the first message contains a command to travel autonomously to a service location. Alternatively, the method includes sending a second message to a person responsible for the first autonomous vehicle, wherein the second message includes information about the deviation of the current state of the first autonomous vehicle from the setpoint state. Alternatively, the method includes sending a third message to service personnel, wherein the third message contains an instruction for the service personnel to set the vehicle to the setpoint state.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/706,880, filed 18 Sep. 2017, which claims priority to GermanPatent Application No. 10 2016 218 012.6, filed 20 Sep. 2016, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

SUMMARY

Illustrative embodiments relate to obtaining an operating state of avehicle. Illustrative embodiments relate to a method for a dataprocessing installation for obtaining an operating state of a firstautonomous vehicle. Illustrative embodiments further relate to a methodfor a data processing installation for managing a plurality ofautonomous vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with referenceto the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for adata processing installation for obtaining an operating state of a firstautonomous vehicle;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a determination of a currentstate of a first autonomous vehicle; and

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for adata processing installation for managing a plurality of autonomousvehicles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A vehicle is a mobile mode of transport for transporting people orgoods. The vehicle can therefore be both a passenger vehicle and acommercial vehicle. For example, a vehicle can be an automobile, atruck, a motorcycle or a tractor. In general, a vehicle can beunderstood as a device that comprises an engine, a drive train systemand wheels.

Vehicles in a sharing network are used by varying users. After beingused by the user, a vehicle in a sharing network is parked in a publicarea and is subsequently available for further users.

With the progression of autonomous driving, that is to say the vehicletraveling autonomously in public road traffic, driverless taxis orrental vehicles will also join public road traffic in the future.

In doing so, it may be that the vehicles, for example, become dirty ordamaged or individual components of the vehicle wear out. This can occurto such an extent that the vehicle no longer satisfies the qualityrequirement of a supplier of the vehicle. Until now, taxis have beencleaned and maintained by the vehicle driver and rental vehicles havebeen cleaned and maintained by service personnel at rental offices.However, in the case of autonomously driving vehicles, there is no taxidriver and only very few rental offices with service personnel. Servicestations of a supplier can therefore be located relatively far away froma current location of the vehicle, with the result that there can belong journey distances and/or journey times to a service station. Thevehicle cannot be used by users during these times.

The document US 2009/0231429 A1 proposes a method in which, in thevehicle, a recording is compared with stored recordings and the driveris notified when a problem is identified. However, this requiresparticipating vehicles to have appropriate evaluation capacitiesavailable in them. The document US 2009/0231429 A1 does not, therefore,provide a solution for efficiently maintaining an operating state of avehicle.

The document US 2015/0348335 A1 proposes a method in which a vehicleidentifies that a service is required and travels independently to aservice center. Here, too, the vehicles are again required to haveappropriate evaluation capacities available in them. The document US2015/0348335 A1 does not, therefore, provide a solution for efficientlymaintaining an operating state of a vehicle either.

The document US 2014/0052312 A1 proposes a method for autonomous drivingin a car wash facility. The document US 2014/0052312 A1 does not,however, provide a solution for efficiently maintaining an operatingstate of a vehicle either.

The document DE 10 2014 224 792 A1 proposes a method for identifyingvehicle damage. Here, a first vehicle scans a second vehicle andidentifies a defect on the second vehicle. In this case, the evaluationof the scan is carried out in the first vehicle. This therefore requiresparticipating vehicles to have appropriate evaluation capacitiesavailable in them. The document DE 10 2014 224 792 A1 does not,therefore, provide a solution for efficiently maintaining an operatingstate of a vehicle.

There is therefore a demand for providing a possibility of maintainingan operating state of an autonomous vehicle in the most efficient mannerpossible, that is to say in the most timely and cost-effective mannerpossible.

The present disclosure makes this possible by a method for a centraldata processing installation for obtaining an operating state of a firstautonomous vehicle. In this case, the method comprises determining acurrent vehicle state of the first autonomous vehicle from a receivedmeasurement value of a sensor of a second vehicle. The measurement valueof the sensor can be a recording from a camera, for example. It istherefore possible to use, for example, a camera (for recording staticor moving images) fitted in or on the second vehicle. It is thereforepossible to make recordings of the exterior and/or the interior of thefirst autonomous vehicle. The measurement value can be sent from thesecond vehicle to the data processing installation, for example, bycellular communication or by a local wireless network (for example, inaccordance with the standard IEEE 802.11 of the Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers, in particular with the standard IEEE 802.11pfor communication between the second vehicle and a trafficinfrastructure—such as a traffic light system). A current vehicle statecan be determined by automated (that is to say computer-assisted)evaluation of the recording. For this purpose, known image recognitionmethods can be used, for example. It is thus possible to determine, forexample, whether the first autonomous vehicle is soiled or dirty on theinside or outside. In this way, it is also possible to identify damageon the vehicle (for example, a crack in the windscreen, dents in thetrim, scratches on the paint). However, the measurement value is notrestricted to recordings from a camera. Instead, the measurement valuecan be the value of any desired measurement variable that is provided bya measurement appliance or a measurement device (for example, ultrasoundsensor, laser scanner, radar) in or on the second vehicle. Onlycomputation power of the data processing installation has to be madeavailable by the central evaluation process. No further computationpower has to be made available in the vehicles themselves for theevaluation of the measurement values of the sensor. Moreover, it issufficient, for example, for updates to software for evaluating themeasurement value, that is to say software for determining the currentstate of the first autonomous vehicle, to be installed only centrally inthe data processing installation. Deployment in the vehicles is notnecessary.

The current state of the first autonomous vehicle is therefore knownfrom the evaluation of the measurement value of the sensor of the secondvehicle. The current state of the first autonomous vehicle can indicatea state that allows or else does not allow a further operation of thefirst autonomous vehicle. In other words: the current state of the firstautonomous vehicle indicates whether the vehicle is in an operatingstate or not. When the current vehicle state deviates from a setpointstate, the method therefore comprises sending a first message to thefirst autonomous vehicle. In this case, the first message contains acommand to travel autonomously to a service location. The setpoint stateindicates here a state that allows a further operation of the vehicleand satisfies a quality requirement of a supplier of the vehicle. Inother words: the vehicle is in the operating state when its currentstate corresponds to the setpoint state. If the current vehicle statenow deviates from the setpoint state because, for example, the vehicleis excessively dirty or a component of the vehicle is worn and/orfaulty, the first autonomous vehicle can travel autonomously in publictraffic to the service location, to be examined in more detail or to beset back to the setpoint state there. The service location can be, forexample, a workshop, a car wash facility or another location at whichthe first autonomous vehicle can be examined or set to the setpointstate (for example, cleaning or repairing). In this case, the work onthe first autonomous vehicle can be carried out both by servicepersonnel (that is to say a person) and by an automatically workingdevice (for example, automatic cleaning). Consequently, after adeviation from the setpoint state has been identified, repair of thefirst autonomous vehicle can be initiated.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, the measurement value ofthe sensor of the second vehicle is a recording from a camera (forexample, a static image or a sequence of moving images). Cameras arealready installed in many vehicles having driving assistance systems andvehicles having autonomous driving systems. Consequently, the disclosedmethod can draw on hardware already present in the second vehicle. Theincorporation of further hardware into the second vehicle can thereforebe avoided. Only updating of the vehicle software is required. Costs canthus be avoided.

In some exemplary embodiments, the determination of the current state ofthe first autonomous vehicle is further based on a measurement value ofa sensor of a third vehicle. In other words: sensor measurement valuesof a plurality of vehicles can be used for the determination of thecurrent state of the first autonomous vehicle. If the measurement valueis, for example, the recording from a camera, it may be, inter alia,that the second vehicle only makes a recording of the left vehicle side.To be able to better determine the current state of the first autonomousvehicle, it is now possible, for example, to furthermore use a recordingof the right vehicle side of the first autonomous vehicle by the thirdvehicle. It is also possible to use additional recordings from furthervehicles, for example, of the rear or the front of the first autonomousvehicle for the determination of the current state of the firstautonomous vehicle. It is also possible for some vehicle parts to appearredundantly, that is to say multiple times, in the recordings of thefirst autonomous vehicle, as a result of which improved analysis of thevehicle parts can be made possible on account of the better availabilityof data.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, the method furthercomprises determining a service time based on a planned future use ofthe first autonomous vehicle. In this case, the first message comprisesinformation about the service time. The planned future use of the firstautonomous vehicle can be, for example, already planned journeys of thefirst autonomous vehicle. For example, in the case of driverless taxis(which are also known under the designation robot taxis), futurejourneys of the vehicle can be planned already. If the planned futureuse of the first autonomous vehicle is included in the determination ofthe service time, it can be ensured that, on the one hand, the firstautonomous vehicle is set to the setpoint state and, on the other hand,the future use of the first autonomous vehicle as planned is possible.Based on the above example of a driverless taxi, the service time can beplaced, for example, between two planned journeys or at a time after allalready planned journeys have ended. The first autonomous vehicle can,for example, calculate a route for itself by way of the informationabout the service time in the first message, to travel promptly from itscurrent or a future position to the service location.

In some exemplary embodiments, the service location is a servicestation, that is to say a company premises at which one or more servicesare offered or carried out for the first autonomous vehicle. The servicestation can be a workshop, a filling station or a car wash facility, forexample. Here, the disclosed method further comprises selecting theservice station from a plurality of service stations based on a positionof the first autonomous vehicle. The position of the first autonomousvehicle can be, for example, a current position of the first autonomousvehicle and can be determined, for example, by a global navigationsatellite system, such as global positioning system (GPS), Galileo,global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) or Beidou. However, theposition of the first autonomous vehicle can also be a future positionof the first autonomous vehicle and can be known, for example, from aplanned future use of the first autonomous vehicle (for example, adestination of a planned future journey). It is possible to avoid longdistances between the vehicle and the service station by selecting theservice station on the basis of the position of the first autonomousvehicle. Correspondingly, work can begin on the first autonomous vehiclewithin a short space of time.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, the second vehicle isalso an autonomous vehicle. That is to say that the second vehicle canalso travel autonomously in public road traffic. In this case, thedisclosed method further comprises determining a journey trajectory forthe second autonomous vehicle based on a position of the firstautonomous vehicle, wherein the position of the first autonomous vehiclerelative to the journey trajectory satisfies a prescribed qualitycriterion. The method further comprises sending a fourth message to thesecond autonomous vehicle, wherein the fourth message containsinformation about the journey trajectory and a command to travel alongthe journey trajectory and in the process to send recorded measurementvalues of the sensor to the data processing installation. The positionof the first autonomous vehicle can again be the current position of thevehicle as well as a future position of the first autonomous vehicle.The journey trajectory is a trajectory to be driven along by the secondautonomous vehicle, that is to say a time-dependent progression of theposition of the second autonomous vehicle. By determining the journeytrajectory for the second autonomous vehicle, a quality of themeasurement of the first autonomous vehicle by the second autonomousvehicle can be prescribed. It is therefore possible to ensure, forexample, an orientation of the second autonomous vehicle relative to thefirst autonomous vehicle for the measurement of the first autonomousvehicle. The quality criterion is a parameter that ensures the qualityand completeness of the measurement values of the sensor of the secondautonomous vehicle. If, for example, the image recordings are imagerecordings of the first autonomous vehicle by the second autonomousvehicle, a suitable distance between the vehicles or a completevisibility of the first autonomous vehicle in the image recording can beensured, for example, by the journey trajectory in accordance with thequality criterion. However, external parameters, such as theillumination situation, can also be taken into account in the qualitycriterion. In this way, the journey trajectory can have, for example, aspecific relative orientation to a position of the sun or a specifictime for driving along the trajectory can be determined. For example, aquality of the illumination of the setting to be recorded can be ensuredin such a way. The sensor measurement values obtained in this way can besent to the data processing installation, for example, by a cellularnetwork or a local wireless network (for example, by transmission inaccordance with the standard IEEE 802.11p to a corresponding trafficinfrastructure). The second autonomous vehicle can therefore be moved ina targeted manner relative to the first autonomous vehicle by the fourthmessage, to enable a qualitatively sufficient or satisfactorymeasurement of the first autonomous vehicle.

Conversely, in some exemplary embodiments, the method can also comprisedetermining a journey trajectory for the first autonomous vehicle basedon a position of the second vehicle, wherein the position of the secondvehicle relative to the journey trajectory satisfies a prescribedquality criterion. Furthermore, the method can then comprise sending amessage to the first autonomous vehicle, wherein the message contains acommand to travel along the journey trajectory. The first autonomousvehicle can therefore be moved on a defined trajectory relative to thesecond vehicle. This may be beneficial, for example, when the secondvehicle is parked. It is also possible for the two vehicles to travelsimultaneously toward one another on defined journey trajectories inthis way. A quality of the measurement of the first autonomous vehicleby the second vehicle can be ensured in this way by a targeted travel ofthe first autonomous vehicle relative to the second vehicle.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, the second vehicle isagain an autonomous vehicle. In this case, the disclosed method furthercomprises determining a journey route for the second autonomous vehiclebased on a position of the first autonomous vehicle, wherein the journeyroute leads past the position of the first autonomous vehicle. Theposition of the first autonomous vehicle can again be a current or afuture position of the first autonomous vehicle. The journey route is aprescribed pathway between two positions. In contrast to the journeytrajectory, the journey route is not, however, a trajectory to betraveled along, that is to say is not a time-dependent progression ofthe position of the second autonomous vehicle, but is an indication totravel independently along a number of prescribed waypoints from a startposition to a target position. For example, the journey route canprescribe a pathway from a start position to a target position, thepathway leading along a specific road in which the first autonomousvehicle is located. The pathfinding along the journey route is theresponsibility of the second autonomous vehicle itself, however. Thedisclosed method therefore further comprises sending a fifth message tothe second autonomous vehicle, wherein the fifth message containsinformation about the journey route and a command to travel autonomouslyalong the journey route and to send measurement values of the sensorrecorded within a prescribed radius around the position of the firstautonomous vehicle to the data processing installation. A targeteddriving of the second autonomous vehicle past the first autonomousvehicle can be controlled in this way, to cause the first autonomousvehicle to be measured in a targeted manner by the second autonomousvehicle.

Conversely, in some exemplary embodiments, the method can therefore alsocomprise determining a journey route for the first autonomous vehiclebased on a position of the second vehicle, wherein the journey routeleads past the position of the second vehicle. In this case, the methodcan further comprise sending a sixth message to the first autonomousvehicle, wherein the sixth message contains information about thejourney route and a command to travel autonomously along the journeyroute. In this way, a targeted driving of the first autonomous vehiclepast the second vehicle can be arranged. This may be beneficial, forexample, when the second vehicle is parked. The two vehicles can also becommanded to drive past one another. The second vehicle can then measurethe first autonomous vehicle driving past (for example, make one or moreimage recordings). For this purpose, for example, a seventh message,containing the command to send recorded measurement values of the sensorto the data processing installation, can be sent to the second vehicleas soon as the first autonomous vehicle is traveling along the journeyroute within a prescribed radius around the position of the secondvehicle. Consequently, a targeted measurement of the first autonomousvehicle can be controlled by the second vehicle.

In accordance with some exemplary embodiments, the method furthercomprises assigning a received measurement value of the sensor of thesecond vehicle to the first autonomous vehicle. The second vehicle oftendoes not know which further vehicle it is measuring or recording. Tokeep the hardware and software outlay for carrying out the disclosedmethod low in the vehicle, assignment in the data processinginstallation is therefore suggested. In this way, the receivedmeasurement value can be assigned to the first autonomous vehicle in thecase of an image recording, for example, by an indicator of the firstautonomous vehicle contained in the image recording. As an alternative,the received measurement value can also be assigned to the firstautonomous vehicle, for example, by known positions of the firstautonomous vehicle and the second vehicle at the time of generation ofthe measurement value by the sensor. In this way, it is also possiblefor measurement values generated by sensors of various vehicles to beassigned to the first autonomous vehicle. Consequently, it is possibleto provide a wider database for determining the current state of thefirst autonomous vehicle.

To organize the repair of autonomous vehicles efficiently, the disclosedembodiments provide a method for a data processing installation formanaging a plurality of autonomous vehicles. In this case, the methodcomprises receiving information about a deviation of a current vehiclestate from a setpoint state for at least a portion of the plurality ofautonomous vehicles. Consequently, at least for a subset of theplurality of autonomous vehicles, information about deviations of theirrespective current vehicle states from respective setpoint states isobtained. The method further comprises determining a handling order in aservice station based on at least one selection criterion and theinformation about the deviations of the current vehicle states from thesetpoint state. It is therefore possible to enable prioritization of therepair of the plurality of vehicles. The selection criterion cancomprise, for example, a prioritization of the handling according to theseverity of the deviation of the current state of the vehicle from thesetpoint state. It is thus possible, for example, for various deviationsfrom the setpoint state to be graded into different classes for thehandling priority, and accordingly for vehicles in one class to behandled in a manner prioritized over vehicles in another class.Moreover, the method comprises sending a message to at least one of theplurality of autonomous vehicles, wherein the message comprisesinformation about the handling order by the service station. The messagecan be sent, for example, by a cellular network or a local wirelessnetwork (for example, in accordance with the standard IEEE 802.11p). Bythe information contained in the message, the one autonomous vehiclecan, for example, find out a service time for itself. Accordingly, theautonomous vehicle can travel autonomously to the service station, toarrive there promptly at the service time. When the one autonomousvehicle is, for example, a driverless taxi, it can decide, for example,whether it can take on further journey bookings or in which area it cantake on further journey bookings. The service station can thus carry outhandling of the autonomous vehicles that is adapted to the deviations oftheir respective current vehicle states from respective setpoint states.It is thus possible to minimize a turnaround time of the autonomousvehicles at the service station during which they are not available fornormal use. The service station can also plan the required work outlayand the required logistics better. On account of the transmission ofinformation about the deviation of the current vehicle state from thesetpoint state for at least a portion of the plurality of autonomousvehicles, the service station can order, for example, in advance partsthat are (likely to be) required for the repair of the autonomousvehicles. It is thus possible to avoid a delay of the repair on accountof missing parts and the unnecessary stocking of the service stationwith parts. It is thus possible to increase the efficiency of the repairfor the plurality of autonomous vehicles.

In some exemplary embodiments, the determination of the handling orderin the service station can therefore also be further based oninformation about a planned future use of the portion of the pluralityof autonomous vehicles. The determination of the handling order can thusalso take into account the already planned future use of the autonomousvehicles. It is thus possible for autonomous vehicles for which no useis planned at a specific time to be repaired at this time, whereasvehicles for which a use is planned at this time can be repaired attimes at which there is no use planned (yet). It is thus possible tomaximize the use possibility of the autonomous vehicles.

It is self-evident that exemplary embodiments also comprise a programwith a program code for executing one of the methods described herein,when the program code runs or is executed in a data processinginstallation (for example, a computer cloud, a computer, a processor ora programmable hardware component).

FIG. 1 shows a method 100 for a data processing installation forobtaining an operating state of a first autonomous vehicle. The method100 comprises in this case determining 102 a current state of the firstautonomous vehicle from a received measurement value of a sensor of asecond vehicle. When the current state of the first autonomous vehicledeviates from a setpoint state, the method 100 comprises sending 104 a afirst message to the first autonomous vehicle. In this case, the firstmessage contains a command to travel autonomously to a service location.As an alternative, the method 100 comprises sending 104 b a secondmessage to a person responsible for the first autonomous vehicle. Inthis case, the second message comprises information about the deviationof the current state of the first autonomous vehicle from the setpointstate. As a further alternative, the method 100 comprises sending 104 ca third message to service personnel, wherein the third message containsan instruction for the service personnel to set the vehicle to thesetpoint state.

In the first alternative, the method 100 enables the first autonomousvehicle to travel autonomously in public traffic to the servicelocation, to be examined more closely or to be set back to the setpointstate there. By the alternative sending of the second message, theperson responsible can be informed of the state of the first autonomousvehicle by the method 100. The person can act on the current vehiclestate according to his wishes. By the alternative sending of the thirdmessage to the service personnel, the deviation of the current vehiclestate from the setpoint state can be rectified by the service personnel.

Further details of the method are described above in connection with oneor more exemplary embodiments. The method can comprise one or moreoptional features in accordance with one or more of the above-describedexemplary embodiments.

For example, the camera of a vehicle can be used with support from aback end (for example, a fleet operator or a mobility provider) forassessing the degree of soiling. It is likewise also possible to performan assessment according to the damage criterion (for example, parkingdamage such as scratches and dents). In other words: the vehicles of afleet (for example, of a taxi company) or the vehicles connected to acommon back end are used to assess one another. For example, twovehicles driving past one another can use their cameras to recordsuitable images that are accordingly evaluated by image processingalgorithms. Deviations from a setpoint state can be identified andclassified according to a criteria catalog. According to the result,cleaning measures and/or repair measures can be initiated and/or thenext assessment can be planned.

Since not all sides of a vehicle can usually be seen or recorded by therespectively other vehicle when driving past, the back end can assignthe images recorded by different vehicles to a vehicle that is to beassessed. The back end then performs image evaluation and assessment.For example, the up-to-dateness of the recordings can also be taken intoaccount here. A situation of this kind is illustrated in FIG. 2 .

The first autonomous vehicle 210 travels—as indicated by the arrows andthe dashed illustration—along a road from right to left. Here, the firstautonomous vehicle 210 first passes the second (autonomous ornon-autonomous) vehicle 220. The vehicle 220 can, for example, be parkedon the side of the road or be traveling in a second lane of the road inor counter to the driving direction of the first autonomous vehicle 210.The second vehicle is fitted with an optical sensor, namely a camera221. The camera can be a camera that is already installed within thecontext of a driving assistance system or an autonomous driving system.In this case, the camera has an aperture angle 222, that is to say thecamera 221 can make recordings of objects within the aperture angle 222.When the first autonomous vehicle 210 drives past the second vehicle220, the camera 221 now makes a plurality of recordings of the firstautonomous vehicle 210. As indicated in FIG. 2 , the camera 221 can makerecordings of the right side and of the rear of the first autonomousvehicle 210, for example.

The second vehicle 220 then sends the recordings to a central dataprocessing installation (back end), where the recordings are firstassigned to the first autonomous vehicle 210 (for example, based on theknowledge of the position of the first autonomous vehicle 210) and arethen assessed.

Over the course of its journey along the road, the first autonomousvehicle 210 also travels past the third (autonomous or non-autonomous)vehicle 230 at a later time. The third vehicle 230 is likewise fittedwith a camera 231, which has an aperture angle 232. When the firstautonomous vehicle 210 drives past the third vehicle 230, the camera 231now makes a plurality of recordings of the first autonomous vehicle 210.As indicated in FIG. 2 , the camera 231 can make recordings of the leftside and of the front of the first autonomous vehicle 210, for example.

The third vehicle 230 also then sends the recordings to the back end,where the recordings are first assigned to the first autonomous vehicle210 and are then assessed. The assessment of the first autonomousvehicle 210, that is to say the determination of whether there is adeviation of the current state of the first autonomous vehicle 210 froma setpoint state, is thus carried out on the basis of the recordingsfrom a plurality of vehicles. The back end can thus identify, forexample, a degree of soiling of the first autonomous vehicle 210 ordamage to the first autonomous vehicle 210.

In accordance with the method 100 or one or more of the above-describedexemplary embodiments, the back end can now, for example, provideinformation to a person responsible for the first autonomous vehicle210, who can command the first autonomous vehicle 210 to travel to aservice location or can instruct service personnel to repair or maintainthe first autonomous vehicle 210.

To improve the process reliability, the back end can also send targetedrequests for driving maneuvers to a vehicle for the image quality andcompleteness of the recordings to be ensured (suitable distance,complete visibility, illumination of the scene to be recorded). Forexample, a journey trajectory for the first autonomous vehicle 210relative to the second vehicle 220 or the third vehicle 230 can bedetermined in accordance with one or more of the above-describedexemplary embodiments. The back end can also plan the procedures forassessing the soiling, that is to say that, in addition to randominstances of driving past that arise from the routes to be driven,targeted instances of driving past can be arranged in such a way that avehicle is viewed by a plurality of other vehicles simultaneously and acomplete assessment is immediately possible. The first autonomousvehicle 210 can therefore drive past the second vehicle 220 and thethird vehicle 230 not just in random state. Instead, the back end canalso determine a journey route for the first autonomous vehicle 210, thejourney route leading the first autonomous vehicle 210 past the secondvehicle 220 and the third vehicle 230.

As already indicated in a plurality of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, the vehicle taking the recordings can also be commanded ina targeted manner by the back end to travel along a journey trajectoryor a route alongside a position of the vehicle that is to be assessed.When the vehicle that is to be assessed is, for example, a driverlesstaxi that is currently waiting at a taxi rank for a passenger, the backend can prompt one or more vehicles to drive past the driverless taxi sothat sufficient recordings are available for an assessment.

The back end can thus enable support of the vehicles in the mutualrecording of images (for example, photographs or moving images),assignment of the images to the individual vehicles, assessment of thedegree of soiling, management of the images and assessment results,planning of the recording of the assessment images, planning of thecleaning in coordination with the use plan or driving plan of theindividual vehicles, booking of the cleaning (including times) in a carwash, optionally in a car wash for autonomous vehicles, and monitoringof the vehicle washing (for example, registration at the car wash by thevehicle on-site, joining the queue, beginning of the wash, end of thewash). In the case of damage being detected, instead of planning thecleaning, planning the appraisal of the damage would be carried out, forexample, in the workshop with the aim of subsequently deciding on thefurther approach (for example, flattening dents, paint repair, partsrepair).

FIG. 3 now also further shows a method 300 for a data processinginstallation for managing a plurality of autonomous vehicles. The method300 comprises receiving 302 information about a deviation of a currentvehicle state from a setpoint state for at least a portion of theplurality of autonomous vehicles. The method 300 further comprisesdetermining 304 a handling order in a service station based on at leastone selection criterion and the information about the deviations of thecurrent vehicle states from the setpoint state. The method 300 alsocomprises sending 306 a message to at least one of the plurality ofautonomous vehicles, wherein the message comprises information about thehandling order by the service station.

By the information contained in the message, the one autonomous vehiclecan, for example, find out a service time for itself. Accordingly, theautonomous vehicle can travel autonomously to the service station, toarrive there promptly at the service time. It is thus possible tominimize a turnaround time of the autonomous vehicles at the servicestation during which they are not available for normal use. The servicestation can also plan the required work outlay and the requiredlogistics better. It is thus possible to avoid a delay of the repair onaccount of missing parts and the unnecessary stocking of the servicestation with parts. It is thus possible to increase the efficiency ofthe repair for the plurality of autonomous vehicles.

Further details of the method are described above in connection with oneor more exemplary embodiments. The method can comprise one or moreoptional features in accordance with one or more of the above-describedexemplary embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   100 Method for a data processing installation for obtaining an    operating state of a first autonomous vehicle-   102 Determining a current state of the first autonomous vehicle-   104 a Sending a first message to the first autonomous vehicle-   104 b Sending a second message to a person responsible for the first    autonomous vehicle-   104 c Sending a third message to service personnel-   210 First autonomous vehicle-   220 Second vehicle-   221 Camera-   222 Aperture angle of the camera-   230 Third vehicle-   231 Camera-   232 Aperture angle of the camera-   300 Method for a data processing installation for managing a    plurality of autonomous vehicles-   302 Receiving information-   304 Determining a handling order in a service station-   306 Sending a message to at least one of the plurality of autonomous    vehicles

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: collecting ameasurement value of a first vehicle with a sensor of a second vehicle,the first and second vehicles being autonomous vehicles; transmittingthe measurement value to a central data processing installation;determining a current state of the first vehicle from the receivedmeasurement value by the central data processing installation; inresponse to the current state of the first vehicle deviating from asetpoint state, sending a first message from the central data processinginstallation to the first vehicle; determining a journey trajectory forthe second autonomous vehicle based on a position of the firstautonomous vehicle, wherein the position of the first autonomous vehiclerelative to the journey trajectory satisfies a prescribed qualitycriterion; and sending a second message to the second autonomousvehicle, wherein the first message contains a command to travelautonomously to a service location, and wherein the second messagecontains information about the journey trajectory and a command totravel along the journey trajectory and in the process to send recordedmeasurement values of the sensor to the data processing installation. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement value of the sensor ofthe second vehicle is a recording from a camera.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the determination of the current state of the firstautonomous vehicle is further based on a measurement value of a sensorof a third vehicle.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining a service time based on a planned future use of the firstautonomous vehicle, and wherein the first message comprises informationabout the service time.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the servicelocation is a service station, and the method further comprisesselecting the service station from a plurality of service stations basedon a position of the first autonomous vehicle.
 6. A method comprising:collecting a measurement value of a first vehicle with a sensor of asecond vehicle, the first and second vehicles being autonomous vehicles;transmitting the measurement value to a central data processinginstallation; determining a current state of the first vehicle from thereceived measurement value by the central data processing installation;in response to the current state of the first vehicle deviating from asetpoint state, sending a first message from the central data processinginstallation to the first vehicle; determining a journey route for thesecond autonomous vehicle based on a position of the first autonomousvehicle, wherein the journey route leads past the position of the firstautonomous vehicle; and sending a second message to the secondautonomous vehicle, wherein the first message contains a command totravel autonomously to a service location, and wherein the secondmessage contains information about the journey route and a command totravel autonomously along the journey route and a command to sendmeasurement values of the sensor recorded within a prescribed radiusaround the position of the first autonomous vehicle to the dataprocessing installation.
 7. A method comprising: collecting ameasurement value of a first vehicle with a sensor of a second vehicle,the first and second vehicles being autonomous vehicles; transmittingthe measurement value to a central data processing installation;determining a current state of the first vehicle from the receivedmeasurement value by the central data processing installation; inresponse to the current state of the first vehicle deviating from asetpoint state, sending a first message from the central data processinginstallation to the first vehicle; determining a journey route for thefirst autonomous vehicle based on a position of the second vehicle,wherein the journey route leads past the position of the second vehicle;sending a second message to the first autonomous vehicle; and sending athird message to the second vehicle, when the first autonomous vehicleis traveling along the journey route within a prescribed radius aroundthe position of the second vehicle, wherein the first message contains acommand to travel autonomously to a service location, wherein the secondmessage contains information about the journey route and a command totravel autonomously along the journey route; and wherein the thirdmessage contains a command to send recorded measurement values of thesensor to the data processing installation.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising assigning a received measurement value of the sensorof the second vehicle to the first autonomous vehicle.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the setpoint state is based on a threshold level of afunctional characteristic.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein thefunctional characteristic includes at a least one of tire inflation,operability of vehicle lights, and a structural condition of a vehiclebody.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the setpoint state is based ona threshold level of an aesthetic characteristic.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the aesthetic characteristic is a cleanliness of avehicle exterior.
 13. The method of claim 6, wherein the measurementvalue of the sensor of the second vehicle is a recording from a camera.14. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a service timebased on a planned future use of the first autonomous vehicle, andwherein the first message comprises information about the service time.15. The method of claim 6, wherein the service location is a servicestation, and the method further comprises selecting the service stationfrom a plurality of service stations based on a position of the firstautonomous vehicle.
 16. The method of claim 6, further comprisingassigning a received measurement value of the sensor of the secondvehicle to the first autonomous vehicle.
 17. The method of claim 6,wherein the setpoint state is based on a threshold level of a functionalcharacteristic including at a least one of tire inflation, operabilityof vehicle lights, and a structural condition of a vehicle body.
 18. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the setpoint state is based on a thresholdlevel of an aesthetic characteristic.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the aesthetic characteristic is a cleanliness of a vehicleexterior.
 20. The method of claim 7, wherein the measurement value ofthe sensor of the second vehicle is a recording from a camera.
 21. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising determining a service time basedon a planned future use of the first autonomous vehicle, and wherein thefirst message comprises information about the service time.
 22. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the service location is a service station,and the method further comprises selecting the service station from aplurality of service stations based on a position of the firstautonomous vehicle.
 23. The method of claim 7, further comprisingassigning a received measurement value of the sensor of the secondvehicle to the first autonomous vehicle.
 24. The method of claim 7,wherein the setpoint state is based on a threshold level of a functionalcharacteristic including at a least one of tire inflation, operabilityof vehicle lights, and a structural condition of a vehicle body.
 25. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the setpoint state is based on a thresholdlevel of an aesthetic characteristic.
 26. The method of claim 25,wherein the aesthetic characteristic is a cleanliness of a vehicleexterior.